London Cocktail Week FAQ's

Find all the answers to those niggling questions here.

So… The basics.
To get involved in the all the fun you will need a FESTIVAL PASS.
And these cost £10.

Hang on… Didn’t they used to be wristbands?
They did. But that was two years ago already. Yep. Time flies. Now there’s no more queuing in the inevitable rain for a piece of ribbon. You can buy, download and activate your Festival Pass from the comfort of your own home, or desk or even at the bar while you’re waiting for your £6 drink and start your evening wherever you choose – rather than having to come and see us first.

But they’re still £10 right?
Yes – still just £10.

What’s included in a LCW Festival Pass?
A £10 Festival Pass grants you access to enjoy bespoke £6 cocktails in 300 of the very best bars in London for the entirety of the seven-day festival. It also is the only way into The Cocktail Village but no additional ticket is needed – if you’ve got the pass – you’re on the list!

When is the Festival Pass valid?
The Festival Pass is valid from Monday 01 October (as soon as the first bar opens!) until Sunday 07 October (when the last bar shuts!).

So how do the Festvial Passes work?
Everything we do is now run through our brand new DrinkUp.London app. You can search for bars, flag your favourites, look for events and buy your tickets all within the app. So you know - the Digital Pass is animated to prove its valid and the real deal, so no screen shots, no Photoshop and no scamming!

Talk me through – once again – how do I activate my pass?
Once you’ve bought your week-long Festival Pass, you’ll receive a code. This code is unique and is the key to unlocking your pass. Within the DrinkUp.London app, go to My Wallet and add your ten digit code in the box. You’ll then be asked to take a selfie (or pick from your camera roll) to create your own personalised, animated Festival Pass. This is your pass for the week, and can be used over and over again.

If you bought your pass direct from us, the code will automatically be in your wallet and you don’t need to re-enter the ten digit code.

What if I bought my Festival Pass from another website?
However you’ve bought your passes – you’ll always receive one of our ten digit codes… You will need to activate your pass via our app, so download it for free and add your code and your selfie to create your personalised Festival Pass.

What if I buy multiple passes for my friends?
How generous you are! If you’ve bought passes for your pals you’ll receive multiple ten digit codes – just share the individual codes with your preferred drinking buddies. They must then download our free app, stick the code in and personalise their own pass. As soon as your friends put the code into their phone and activated their pass, that code cannot be shared or used again.

Can I just put my friends passes on my phone?
No – as it’s personalised it must be only one pass per phone please.

What if I don’t have a smart phone?
OK – we kind of admire you for keeping it old school. If you cannot access apps on your phone you can go through all the same steps as the app, but via the DrinkUp.London website.
Log in in the top right corner, go to My Profile, My Wallet and add the ten digit code there. You still upload a photo – still create a pass, which you can then save as a screen shot on a friends phone or print if you absolutely have to.

What if anything technical goes wrong with my app?
Please email us at [email protected]as soon as you are able to. During the week itself we’ll have technical support on standby and someone manning the emails at almost all times, so please ping us an email and we’ll do our utmost to fix it ASAP.

Please can we just ask that you try hard closing the app and restarting before sending us that email… Turning it off and on again really does usually do the trick.

What if my phone dies?
This one we can’t help with… please make sure your phone is fully charged before heading out for the evening, or sweet talk your bartender into charging it for you if you’re desperate.

THE COCKTAIL VILLAGE

Is there a fee to come into The Cocktail Village?
No.
This year The Cocktail Village is free entry with a Festival Pass.
Once you have an activated pass you can come and go as you please throughout the week.

Alright – so what’s actually happening in The Cocktail Village?
40 pop-up cocktail bars are all being specially created for this year’s Cocktail Village. All pop-ups will be serving at least one bespoke £6 cocktail including lots of brand new products and concoctions to try.

What are the opening hours?
The Cocktail Village is closed on Monday and Tuesday and will open at Midday on Wednesday 3rd October. Full opening hours are;

Wednesday 03 October 12pm-11pm

Thursday 04 October 12pm-11pm

Friday 05 October 12pm-11pm

Saturday 06 October 12pm-11pm

Sunday 07 October 12pm-7pm

Will I have to queue to get in?
The Cocktail Village has a much larger capacity than before so we’re hoping to accommodate everyone but if you don’t want to wait in the queue – we suggest you check the DrinkUp.London app for bars Near Me Now for where to kill time till the queue has died down.

If I want to come more than one day – what should I do?
Once you have your Digital Pass, you can book to come as often as you like…

THE COCKTAIL TOURS

So… Remind me… what’s the deal?
Festival Serves during London Cocktail Week are £6 a pop.
Each bar that is taking part will be serving ONE cocktail at this price point that you are welcome to drink again and again. There’s 300 bars involved which means there are lots and lots of options available if you have a Festival Pass.

What if I’m the only one in my group with a Festival Pass, can I get drinks for my friends?
You can personally enjoy all the benefits of the £6 cocktail deals, however the rest of your group will not be able to participate in the deal. Each individual must hold their own Festival Pass in order to get the London Cocktail Week £6 cocktail offer. This therefore means that buying rounds will only be possible where the bartender can see you all have Festival Passes – or is feeling especially good natured.

So you know – 100% of all revenue from The Cocktail Tours stays with our bar partners, who also do not pay us to be involved… You having Festival Passes is the only way we can fund this super duper offer.

Is there a limit to how many cocktails I can have in a venue?
There is no limit imposed on the number of discounted drinks you are allowed to consume - you’re an adult and we like to think that you can make good choices about drinking mindfully. However – so we’ve said it - the point of London Cocktail Week is not to see how many cocktails you can possibly fit in, but to visit new venues, try things you’ve previously not tasted and to get a glimpse of our brilliant city. Our partnering bars reserve the right not to serve individuals who they believe to be intoxicated, so please drink responsibly. If there is a limit on the amount of drinks available per person, per venue – this will be clearly listed on the INSIDER INFORMATION on the bars specific page within the app.

What about the guidebook – I loved the guidebook…
We know they were nice to have in the cupboard but they were (we can say it) fairly inaccurate maps and almost impossible to create. Coordinating 300 drinks recipes and mapping as many bars on hand drawn maps was… tricky. So please embrace the digital age, applaud our attempt for accuracy and support our move towards sustainability.

What if I’m only interested in a certain area of London?
Our website and our app still split bars into distinct areas of London in our collections, just like the guidebooks.

What if I just want to know the closest bar to me RIGHT NOW?
There’s a button for that! Just open the app – click on Near Me Now at the top of the home page and all bars within a small radius will pop up.

How do I see if my favourite bar is involved?
Within the website or the app – just use our search bars and type in the name or search by area if you’ve got a vague idea where it was but can’t quite remember the name.

How can I keep a list of my favourite bars?
Once you’ve found your favourite, tap the heart and it will save it to Your Favourites within the app (or website) so you can revisit the page easily… Once you’ve created your list – you can then view these on a map to curate your own personal Cocktail Tour.

I love cocktails, but I don’t want to drink too much…
This year we’ve challenged the bars we’re partnering with to create a Lower or Non Alcoholic cocktail for their Cocktail Tours. The NA drinks will be priced at £4 to incentivise you to slow down even more! And always do ask for water if it’s not been provided too…

I don’t drink alcohol but I still want to be part of the action – do I need a Festival Pass?
We’re really working hard to promote all options when being in a bar, so if you’d like to enjoy the £4 NA cocktails – then yes, you will need a Festival Pass.

EVENTS

Where do I see the full timetable?
The full timetable is available on the website and the app and appears in date order. We’ve also grouped types of events together by either day or type for ease of searching.

I’m ONLY interested in masterclasses – where should I look?
On the Events page of DrinkUp.London – scroll through the collections we’ve made and click through to Masterclasses. Or parties. Or pop-ups. Or whatever else takes your fancy.

I work in the hospitality trade and want to only attend trade-appropriate events – where should I look?
There’s a specific trade timetable for London Cocktail Week with tastings and seminars that have been specially created for trade professionals. These are grouped together under Trade Events within the website and the app, and are marked with a Trade-Only flag on the top left corner.

GENERAL INFORMATION

What age must I be to take part?
London Cocktail Week is an over 18 event, therefore ID may be required when collecting or purchasing tickets. Please note, we adhere to the Challenge 25 policy so don’t be offended if you’re lucky enough to look younger than your years. Some bars taking part on the Cocktail Tours operate an over 21 policy but this will be clearly listed on the INSIDER INFORMATION on the bars specific page within the app.

I’m new to London, what’s the best way of getting around during the week?
The quickest way to get round London is the Underground. You can see a map online here (http://www.tfl.gov.uk/maps/track/tube) or can pick up a free map at any station. A weekly travel pass costs £31.40 and is available to buy from any underground station. This also allows you unlimited use of all underground train services and London buses. Many bus routes are 24-hour and night services often operate (though may take a slightly different route). Please check each individual bus stop for information. For ease there is an excellent journey planner available onwww.tfl.gov.uk

Just to State the Obvious- London is a big city and it takes on average 40 minutes to get anywhere... even if it looks near. Please allow plenty of time to get to bars or event venues, especially if you need to collect tickets in advance of the start time...

I want to see the sights whilst travelling, would you advise driving?
The only safe option is not to drink alcohol if you plan to drive (www.drinkaware.com). This also means you should not offer an alcoholic drink to someone who is intending to drive. Therefore if you want to enjoy your cocktails as well as travelling by car hop in a taxi. If a black taxi has a yellow light on it, it's free to hire. You'll need to wave your arms about a bit, but they will stop.

If we’ve still not answered your query - please email us directly at [email protected] and we’ll do our best to help you.